Norwegian Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft have just wrapped up a NATO deployment aimed at securing Iceland’s airspace.
Four F-35s were on standby ready to be scrambled if an unidentified aircraft came close to Icelandic airspace. The Air Policing mission for Iceland is provided periodically by NATO member countries for three to four weeks at a time, as Iceland does not have armed forces of its own. NATO Air Policing, which takes place over the entire Alliance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, is a peacetime mission that aims to preserve the security of Alliance airspace.
The Norwegian deployment ran from 19 January until 9 February 2023. This is the second time Norway has sent fifth-generation fighter jets to cover Icelandic airspace.
Footage includes shots of F-35 aircraft in a hangar, on the runway and taking off. It also includes soundbites with Lieutenant Colonel Trond Haugen, Squadron Commander, 332 Squadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, and Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland.
“Looking at the map, Iceland is obviously in a strategically important position in the High North, being where it is. So, you know, keeping a watchful eye on the High North from Iceland is obviously an important part of maintaining situational awareness of what’s going on up north in the NATO area of responsibility,” said Lt Col. Trond Haugen, Squadron Commander, 332 Squadron, Royal Norwegian Air Force.
“We have never in history have had armed forces. And we are, even though the country is kind of big, the nation is now around 370,000. And, you know, not long ago it was even smaller. So it would always be small. We have had, you know, the bilateral defence agreement with the United States since 1951, and we are a founding member of NATO. So when you prioritise the project and look what makes sense, this is the outcome and I really don’t think that’s going to change, at least not in the near future,” said Thordis Kolbrun Reykford Gylfadottir, Iceland’s Foreign Minister.
